Houston: Kimpton Hotel Coming to Planned Mixed-Use Development

Featured Illustration (above): Rendering of Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant, set to open in late 2022 in Midtown Houston. Image: Kimpton

Posted: 10-4-19

By Edmond Ortiz

Houston (Harris County)–A San Francisco-based hospitality company announced plans Oct. 3 to open a 204-room hotel near downtown and the developer expects to complete construction by the end of 2022.

In the announcement by Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, the high-rise hotel will include a signature restaurant, cafe, rooftop pool and bar area, and more than 14,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

It is to be located in Laneways, a planned mixed-use development that Australia developer Caydon will start building in Midtown Houston in early 2020.

The location provides easy access to renowned local cultural, recreation, retail and sports destinations, as well as the Texas Medical Center and George R. Brown Convention Center.

Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant will be located in the Laneways mixed-use development that’s underway near downtown Houston. Image: Kimpton

“Houston is the ideal place to expand our Texas footprint,” Mike DeFrino, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants chief executive officer, said in a press release from Kimpton.

“Midtown is quickly solidifying its place as the heart of the city, and its diverse cosmopolitan vibe fits perfectly with Kimpton’s brand of hospitality. Partnering with Caydon on their first U.S. development project is an incredible opportunity.”

Laneways will cover three blocks and 2.5 million square feet between McGowen, Fannin, Tuam and Main streets. It will contain multifamily residences, ground floor retail, public outdoor spaces and Drewery Place, a 27-floor residential tower. It is Midtown Houston’s first residential high-rise.

Laneways will also feature walkable laneways, or narrow roadways lined with bars, shops, coffeehouses and galleries. The concept of laneways comes from such pathways in Melbourne that offer various retail, culinary and artistic options.

Rendering of Drewery Place, a residential high-rise under development at Caydon’s Laneways mixed-use project in Midtown Houston. Image: Caydon

Laneways’ conceptual design in Houston will be curated by Caydon Architecture and Design, the developer’s in-house team. The developer has set up a Houston office to oversee the local project.

“We are working with Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants to bring the first boutique hotel to Midtown, as we want to create a lively mixed-use development that captures the essence of the location,” Joe Russo, principal of Caydon, said in the Kimpton press release.

“With Laneways located between two major employment hubs, Texas Medical Center and Downtown, we want to provide savvy travelers a new opportunity to stay in an upscale hotel with a ‘homelike’ experience and community feel in one of Houston’s rapidly growing neighborhoods, Midtown.”

Kimpton’s Global Senior Vice President of Design Ave Bradley will supervise the hotel and restaurant design alongside the architect group The Preston Partnership, based in Atlanta.

Kimpton currently owns and operates two other properties in Texas — Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin and the Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Dallas. The latter hotel is scheduled to open in summer of 2020.

Edmond Ortiz is a lifelong San Antonian and a 20-plus-year veteran in local journalism, He previously worked full-time at the San Antonio Express-News, and has been freelancing for outlets such as the Rivard Report.